Friday, March 17, 2006

"Petro-imperialism"

No, this is not a Chomsky word. This word was coined by one of conservatism's very own, Kevin Phillips.. And that's amazing enough.

He's just come out with a book, reviewed here, that takes on what will emerge as the three most horrifying facts of our time: our oil interests, religion and fundamental Christianity in particular, and America's debt.

The review is amazing. I think I'm actually too frightened to read the book though. Other than the possible economic collapse of America (invest here and overseas is the personal lesson there), I agree with Phillips with regard to Christian fundamentalism. Why is Pat Robertson in the news so often, saying things that are clearly political, even geopolitical? Why does Bush stage meetings with Franklin Graham, another man who makes radical and hate filled speeches regarding Islam? Christian fundamentalists in this country are opposed to the seperation of church and state, or think that no such division exists. These are frightening developments for our society. Radicalism is not only an Islamic phenomenon. It has been shown that religious leaders seek political power, ie., Iran, Taliban, and Indonesia. The analogies are obvious.

There's always Europe. One of the great lessons from Europe is their secularism. I just wish America learned it.